Emily Howard (born 1979) is a British composer whose work is best known for its inventive connections with mathematical shapes and processes.

Early life

Howard was born in Liverpool, England. After completing a degree in mathematics and computer science at Lincoln College, Oxford, Howard studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music (MMus) and the University of Manchester (PhD).

Career

In 2008, Howard was commissioned to write a work for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra to mark Liverpool's recognition as a European Capital of Culture in 2008. The resulting piece, ''Magnetite'', received critical acclaim, and Howard went on to win an award from th
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
In 2010, Howard became the inaugural UBS Composer in Residence in conjunction with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) at the Bridge Academy in Hackney, writing ''Solar'' (2010) for the LSO conducted by Nicholas Collon, a work that the ''Financial Times'' praised for its ability 'to suggest galactic power on a compact scale'. In 2011, Howard's music was the focus of Wien Modern, which saw performances of ''Magnetite'' in the Musikverein (by the Tonkünstler Orchestra under Andrés Orozco-Estrada), ''Solar'' and ''Calculus of the Nervous System'' (2011) in the Wiener Konzerthaus (performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra with Sir James MacMillan). Meanwhile, Howard continued to explore musical wordplay and wrote the operatic biopic ''Zátopek!'', commissioned by Second Movement as part of New Music 20x12 for the 2012 London Cultural Olympiad, and the ''Ada'' sketches, premiered at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Theatre. In the same year, ''Mesmerism'', a Diamond Jubilee commission for the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra with pianist Alexandra Dariescu, won a British Composer Award. Howard's work increasingly blurred the boundaries between art and science, although, as Simon Rattle once remarked 'her music doesn't feel the least bit mechanical – she has her own very particular sound world'. Howard collaborated with mathematician Marcus du Sautoy to create string quartet ''Four Musical Proofs and a Conjecture'', which was premiered at the New Scientist Live Festival in 2017. In recent years, Howard has explored what she terms 'orchestral geometries', with several large-scale works that evoke shapes and processes. ''Torus'', a 2016 BBC Proms commission, was described by the ''Times'' as 'visionary' and won the orchestral category of the 2017 British Composer Awards. ''Antisphere'', the latest in the unofficial series, was commissioned by the Barbican for Rattle and the LSO, and opened the 2019–20 season. That same year ''The Anvil: An Elegy for Peterloo'', for orchestra, chorus and soloists with a text by Michael Symmons Roberts, was performed by Kate Royal, Christopher Purves, three Hallé Choirs, the BBC Singers and BBC Philharmonic under Ben Gernon at the Manchester International Festival, who described Howard as one of British music's 'most original voices'. Howard's music was also the subject of the Barbican's high-profile Life Rewired season in 2019, which explored artistic responses to society and technology. Howard curated 'Ada Lovelace: Imagining the Analytical Engine', an evening of new music and discussion in honour of mathematician Ada Lovelace. Howard's first full-length opera, ''To See The Invisible'' (2018), was an Aldeburgh Festival commission with a text by Selma Dimitrijevic after a short sci-fi story by Robert Silverberg. The ''Telegraph'' remarked that the opera demonstrated that 'Howard's idiom has a cool confidence and clarity of its own' while the ''Times'' observed that the achievement 'raised hopes for Howard's future work'. Alongside her artistic commitments, Howard is active as a researcher and teacher. In 2015, she was Leverhulme Trust Artist in Residence at the University of Liverpool's Department of Mathematical Sciences. In 2017, Howard co-launched PRiSM, th
RNCM Centre for Practice & Research in Science & Music
In addition to her role as Director of PRiSM, Howard is Professor of Composition at the RNCM, where she has taught since 2010. In 2019, Howard was a TORCH visiting research fellow at the University of Oxford and was elected honorary fellow of Oxford's Lincoln College. Howard is based in Manchester and is represented by Cathy Nelson Artists & Projects. All works are published b
Edition Peters
In 2023 Howard received an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

nomination at The Ivors Classical Awards. ''Elliptics'', composed for orchestra, soprano and countertenor, was nominated for Best Orchestral Composition.

Selected discography

''Magnetite'' (NMC), NMCD219 (2016) ''Zátopek!'' (NMC), NMCDL2012-10 (2012) ''Sky and Water'' featured in John McCabe: Farewell Recital (Toccata Classics), TOCC0139 (2011) ''Wild Clematis in Winter'' featured in The NMC Songbook (NMC), NMCD150 (2009) ''Outback'' in A Garland For John McCabe (Divine Art), DDA25166 (2018) ''Masquerade'' for basset clarinet and piano featured in Prism: New Works for Clarinet (NMC), NMCD139 (2011) ''Cloud Chamber'' featured in Paul Vowles's recital disc (Prima Facie), PFCD035 (2015)

Music style

Howard uses a broad range of sonic colour, at times exploring the extremities of instrumental and vocal timbre. Architectural shape and narrative arc are important elements in her writing. The overlap between music, maths and computer science is reflected in some of the titles, for example ''Calculus of the Nervous System'' (2011) and the 2013 children's work ''Pi (a Pie?)''. Her interest in chess is also referenced in ''Chaos or Ches''s (2016), which borrows its title from a line written by poet Geoffrey Hill. Word-setting and word play are equally important features in Howard's oeuvre, such as the recent use of Ada Lovelace's text in the ''‘But then, what are these numbers?’'' (2019).

Personal

Howard's father used to play in the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra with Simon Rattle. The composer was British Junior Girls Chess Champion from 1990 to 1996.

Selected works

Works for orchestra

* ''Antisphere'' (2019) * ''sphere'' (2017) * ''Torus'' (2016) * ''Axon'' (2013) * ''Calculus of the Nervous System'' (2011) * ''Solar'' (2010) * ''Magnetite'' (2007)

Chamber orchestra

* ''Mesmerism'' (2011) * ''Lachrymose'' (2006) * ''Passacaglia'' (2002)

Orchestra with choir

* ''The Anvil'' (2019)

Opera and vocal

* ''To See The Invisible'' (2018) * ''Zátopek!'' (2012)

Solo vocal

* ''But then, what are these numbers?'' (2019) * ''Threnos'' (2015) * ''Ada sketches'' (2011) * ''Songs from Dickens'' (2010) * ''Wild Clematis in Winter'' (2008)

Choral

* ''Two Songs after Friday Afternoons'' (2013) * ''Ite Fortes'' (2006)

Ensemble

* ''Carillon'' (2013) * ''Settle'' (2010) * ''Obsidian'' (2010) * ''Broken Hierarchies'' (2008) * ''Dualities'' (2005)

Chamber

* ''Four Musical Proofs and a Conjecture'' (2017) * ''Afference'' (2014) * ''Deconstruction V'' (2012) * ''Zugzwänge'' (2012) * ''Broken Hierarchies II'' (2009) * ''The Summoning of Mephisto'' (2007)

Solo

* ''Outlier'' (2018) * ''Chaos or Chess'' (2016) * ''Orbits'' (2015) * ''Leviathan'' (2015) * ''Masquerade'' (2009) * ''Cloud Chamber'' (2006) * ''Sky and Water'' (2005)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Emily 1979 births Musicians from Liverpool British classical composers 20th-century classical composers British women classical composers Living people 20th-century British composers British women composers Alumni of the Royal Northern College of Music 21st-century classical composers 21st-century British composers 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Manchester